With Turkey Day behind us and the first Friday of December nearly upon us, it’s time to look ahead to some of the films soon coming to theaters. This year’s winter crop of films is, as usual, one of the most exciting selections you’ll find all year long. There’s not quite as many Oscar contenders as usual; this year the award darlings were more spread out with Birman out mid-October, Foxcatcher in November, and Boyhood far back in early July. That being said, there is still a lot coming out in the next few weeks. So buckle up and prepare to head back to the museum, back to Middle-Earth, an escape from Egypt, the wacky ’70s, and into the woods.

The Indie Darling: Inherent Vice

Two years ago, P.T. Anderson’s The Master was one of the biggest Best Picture snubs. But that doesn’t mean that his latest film, Inherent Vice, is out of the race. Despite some negative reviews at festivals, any film with a cast that boasts Reese Witherspoon, Josh Brolin, Joaquin Phoenix, Benicio del Toro, Owen Wilson, and more at least has a shot at a nomination. The story follows Phoenix’s detective, Lary “Doc” Sportello as he tries to find out why his former girlfriend has mysteriously disappeared. It all takes place in ’70s LA and it all hits screens on the 12th.

The Actioneer: Exodus: Gods and Kings

Ridley Scott is by no means slowing down. He has 17 producing projects on the horizons as well as a film and a mini-series that he’ll direct. The Counselor, his film from last year, failed loud and hard with terrible critics reviews (a 34 on Rotten Tomatoes!) and no Oscar watch. But with a fantasy-action spectacle a little more in his comfort zone, Scott could be back at it.

The Career Restart: Top Five

Comedian Chris Rock is best known for satirical skits and trashy movie parts. He’s aiming to change all that with a new project that will not only find him in front of the camera but behind, as well. He plays a comedian who wants to be a serious actor. Things go downhill when his fiancée (who just so happens to be a reality TV star) announces she wants to film their wedding on her show. Whether things will go well for Rock is yet to be seen, but he has already made the cover of New York Magazine.

The Grand Finale: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Peter Jackson (finally!) closes the curtain (alas, probably not) on his six-part Tolkein epic. The new film may be short compared to the other films, but it’s titular battle is said to be forty-five minutes. Asides from that big battle, there is still a lot to be wrapped up with the many characters and plot threads left unfinished. Plus, there is a certain character’s death that is yet to be seen…

The Show Stopper: Annie

Yes, another Annie. But, wait!!! The youngest Oscar nom ever, Beasts of the Southern Wild star Quvenzhané Wallis is the red-haired wonder? Yes, although she isn’t very red-haired. She is, however, joined by Cameron Diaz as Ms. Hannigan and Jamie Foxx as Will Stacks. The film is obviously aiming to corner the market on something the whole family can enjoy, but whether it will is yet to be seen.

The All-Star Musical: Into the Woods

Meryl Streep. Emily Blunt. Chris Pine. Anna Kendrick. James Corden. Johnny Depp. All of these big names will step into the woods to dress up as storybook characters in Stephen Sondheim’s classic musical. They’ll all be singing under the reins of Rob Marshall of Chicago and more recently the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean fame. Even though it comes out a day after Christmas and a week after Annie, it will certainly be butting heads with the previously mentioned musical. What will audiences be drawn to more: charming orphan girl or familiar fantasy creatures?

The Director Breakthrough: Unbroken

Angelina Jolie may have directed In the Land of Blood and Honey, but that film went largely unnoticed. Unbroken will surely not. It tells the story of an Olympic runner, Louis Zamperini, who is taken captive by the Japanese during World War II. The trailer shows an inspirational story with peril in the seas, in the cold, and in prison.

Also Out This Month: Tim Burton tries (another) comeback with Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz in Big Eyes, J.M.W. Turner is portrayed by Timothy Spall who has already gained Best Actor attention in Mr. Turner, Ben Stiller is back for the third and final installment this time in London in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Seth Rogen co-directs (with Evan Goldberg) and co-stars (with James Franco) in The Interview, Clint Eastwood tells the story of a Navy S.E.A.L. who has killed over 150 people in American Sniper, and if this isn’t enough holiday spirit, Rupert Wyatt turns Mark Wahlberg into a gambling literature professor having an affair with a student in The Gambler. Happy Holidays!

You can party all day long for every day this year in order to celebrate fifty years of 007. So of course Flick is here so you can stock up on your knowledge about the twenty-third Bond film, Skyfall. It’s directed by Sam Mendes and for his third outing, Daniel Craig returns as the iconic super-spy. Will the film honor the fifty year benchmark? How could they possibly go somewhere different than the last twenty-two films? In Casino Royale and Quantam of Solace the action was done by real humans, is that the case this time round? Is Craig done with it after this? Want to know the answers? Read on.Last night, Bond once again hit silver screens everywhere. His new film Skyfall, looks like it’s harkening back with a classy vibe. In my opinion that’s a great way to celebrate half a century of the ongoing franchise. The director is an odd choice, Sam Mendes, who previously was at the helm of dramas like American Beauty or Revolutionary Road or Road to Peridition. Judging from the video blogs that have been released (especially the first that focuses on Mendes) it seems like the film is in good hands. The action is still there, but a new sort of depth is also intact.Let’s go from behind the camera to in front of the camera. Daniel Craig is back. His first turn in the role, was in 2006’s Casino Royale. It was a return to form according to fans and, for one of the first times ever, critics. Two years later, Craig returned for the commercially successful Quantum of Solace. This time however, critics weren’t so happy and neither, entirely, were fans. So for Skyfall, Craig is bringing Mendes along with him and is hoping for the best.

There are also two Bond girls on board, played by Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe. From the footage that has been seen so far, both of the Bond girls seem half allies, half enemies. Ola Rapace is also in a supporting role as one of Silva’s (played by Javier Bardem sporting some blonde hair) henchman. Of course Judi Dench is still here and according to spectators she has a past with Silva.

So will Skyfall do well? It already $321million in it’s pockets from overseas so even if it’s a flop here (which it won’t be) they have already earned back their budget (an estimated $200 million) and more. My prediction for the opening weekend is a stellar $73 million. It should get the Fall movie season rolling. If you see the film comment on this post. I think that’s it… Bond-jour!

On Thursday September 13th go to Google Plus to view a live chat with Steven Spielberg and Joseph Gordon-Levvitt as they talk about their new film Lincoln at 7:00pm, based on the book Team of Rivals. You will also be able to see the premiere of the trailer. I’m not sure if it will be archived so don’t forget to watch it live. Lincoln stars Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sally Fields, and Tommy Lee Jones in other roles. It will be released in limited release November 9th and wide release on November 16th.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. The 200th post has finally, arrived. It’s here. It’s huge. It’s stunning, and it’s ready to knock your socks off. (Cue Flick Flack theme song, whatever it is.) This September marks our third year of posting, but we thought we would celebrate our 200th post, after all it is something to celebrate. (That’s not to say we aren’t celebrating three years with all this, it’s just that 200 is worthy of a fiesta too.) So here it is: our fiesta, party, birthday, holiday (take a day off if you like), celebration, or whatever else you want to call it. This post is filled with surprises; unlike most posts where we devote our first paragraph to a preview of the post, here we’re not saying anything (at least not in this first paragraph). But if you would like the secrets of the world to be spilled, there is one thing you may do. Scroll down the page and take a listen to the eight celebratory podcasts Flick and Flack have recorded specially, exclusively, and exhaustively just for you. Note: While listening to them all straight through is much longer than most movie’s running time, but trust us, it’s worth it. Just as writing our other 199 posts have been.

Click on photo to hear podcast.

To kick it all off Flick and Flack discuss it all. This first part also includes an audio clip of Flick’s interview with Daniel Kamil and a discussion of The Avengers and a reading of Flick’s review of the film. Note: Our discussion about the best films of the year is not up to date, as we recorded this awhile ago. However it still provides interesting critiques.

Click on photo to hear podcast.

In the second part of the exciting saga Flick and Flack discuss The Avengers even more and they give you a rousing preview filled with opinions about this Fall’s movie lineup including James Bond’s latest, Skyfall.

Click on photo to hear podcast.

This third part includes a talk on why film studios matter… and just maybe, why they don’t. One of the studios talked about is Warner Bros.

Click on photo to hear podcast.

Whew. We’re halfway done. So in the center of the stage (the fourth part), we respond to questions asked by readers.

Click on photo to hear podcast.

For our fifth part we discuss some of our reader’s favorite films, including Super 8.

Click on photo to hear podcast.

As we venture into our second phase of the website we thought it might be a good idea to talk about the second phases of franchises. In other words Flick and Flack return in the sixth part to discuss their favorite movie sequels.

Click on photo to hear podcast.

In part VII we continue talking, discussing, and arguing over our favorite movie sequels.

Click on photo to hear podcast.

It’s bittersweet. It’s all ended. We come to a close with the finale: our eighth part of this series where we finally discuss our all time favorite films.

One of the most anticipated films of the summer will be hitting theaters in nineteen days. That film is Christopher Nolan’s epic final installment in his Batman trilogy: The Dark Knight Rises. Yes, it sounds ominous, yes it will break opening weekend records, yes it is a Best Picture contender. All those yeses and more will be discussed if you do one simple task that will change your life forever: read on.

Christopher Nolan has become a director that will most likely be remembered for the ages. He is known for helming Memento, The Prestige, Inception, and of course The Dark Knight trilogy. The Batman finale will certainly be his most successful and popular film to date. My prediction for it’s opening weekend gross is $217.4 million. Currently Nolan’s most successful (and popular) film is The Dark Knight. The Avengers has now shattered all records by not only earning the highest opening weekend gross, but also being the first film to earn over $200 million on it’s opening weekend. It’s total opening weekend gross was $207.4 million. If my prediction for The Dark Knight Rises is correct, then The Avengers record will be beaten.

Asides from moneymaking, the film has a good chance of being nominated for Best Picture. It’s competition in terms of winning is is Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Lincoln, The Great Gatsby, and more. Arguably the reason the Academy Awards have changed their Best Picture nominations from five to ten is to let more popular films in like The Dark Knight, a film that wasn’t nominated, but according to many, deserved to be nominated. Now that there will be five to ten nominees this year (unless the rules are changed again), The Dark Knight Rises has a very good chance of being nominated.

The movie will certainly be action packed, but according to the trailer the movie will follow in the footsteps of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight: it will be macabre. Yet that won’t stop half of the world from seeing it. After all, it is one of the most anticipated films of the summer.

After a little delay I’m back with part 2 of my June movie preview. I’ll talk about how the newest releases will do with critics and at the box office. I will talk about everything from global moneymaking to Rotten Tomatoes scores. Also just so you know OWG means opening weekend gross, DTG means domestic total gross, and ITG means international total gross. RT means Rotten Tomatoes. Enjoy!

June 22nd: This week has one movie that will make a ton of money and likely become the highest grossing movie of June. There is also an oddball historical horror flick, an apocalyptic romantic comedy, and the latest effort from one of the world’s most admired directors. Of course the four films I am talking about are Pixar’s Brave, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Seeking A Friend For The End of the World, and Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love. Adjusted for inflation no Pixar movie has made under $191 million in the US. Last year whenCars 2 made that much and became the first Pixar movie to make under $200 million domestically as well as get a rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes (39% splat) fans got worried. Will Brave be nominated for Best Picture the way Best Animated Film Oscar winners Up and Toy Story 3 were? Probably not. But will it make some money, get rather favorable reviews, and at the very least be nominated for the Best Animated Film at the Oscars? Yes. This is one of the summer movies I am most anticipated to see. The animation as always looks absolutely beautiful and the story and action seem pretty good. Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World stars Steve Carrell and Keira Knightley but it is rated R and has an indie crew. In other words not likely to be a mainstream box office hit. The director, Lorene Scafaria is directing for the first time ever but she wrote the movie Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist which got a 73% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. This should get about the same. At the box office that movie made $31 million in the US total and it was in wide release. Scafaria’s new movie has more star power than Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist but it has a much more limited release so it should do worse at the box office (it also has more tough competiton than Nick and Nora had) and it should do worse with the critics because it is slightly more mainstream. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter sounds ridiculous and will probably be a flop. Luckily it only cost $69 million and at least, worldwide it should earn a little more than that. Critics are also likely to call it one of the worst movies of the year. Meanwhile Woody Allen has a new movie, To Rome With Love a romantic comedy told in four star studded vignettes. This does not seem like it will be as successful as Midnight In Paris because it did not play at Cannes, let alone open Cannes, but it should still do okay with critics and good at the box office for a limited release.Here’s how I think past releases will fall into the rankings:Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted: $15 million Prometheus: $9 million Rock Of Ages: $6 million That’s My Boy: $5 million Brave: RT: 88% fresh OWG: $82 million DTG: $305 million ITG: $725 million Seeking A Friend for The End Of the World: RT: 70% fresh OWG: $5 million DTG: $15 million ITG: $18 million Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: RT: 13% splat OWG: $11 million DTG: $24 million ITG: $45 million To Rome With Love: RT: 71% fresh OWG: low because of limited release DTG: $4 million ITG: $25 million

June 29th: R rated teddy bear comedy Ted and to a lesser extent, Dreamworks family drama, People Like Us should do not bad at the box office. Ted will probably be the second most successful adult comedy of the year, just behind $135 million grosser 21 Jump Street, that opened on March 16th this year. People Like Us is said to be “The Help” of the year: a Dreamworks summer drama. Or at least that’s what the ads say. But box office wise and definitely Oscar wise there is no way this will do as good as that film. For one People Like Us is not based on an extremely popular book with a lot fans who can’t wait to see the movie like The Help. Ted should open strong as what will perhaps be the only R rated comedy hit of the summer. Though it will only have four days too shine before The Amazing Spider Man it is aiming for a very different target audience. It will have to hold up very well in a summer this packed but I think it can make at least over $100 million in the US alone. Meanwhile adult comedies Magic Mike and Tyler Perry’s Madea Witness Protection are also being released. Magic Mike star Channing Tatum led and two movies to over $100 million: The Vow in Febuary with $125 million and in 21 Jump Street March with $137 million . However this time around I don’t think that Tatum will pull it off. Meanwhile the Madea movie will also make little money. I expect both films to get bad reviews from the critics. Even if Ted and People Like Us turn out to be respectable hits there is simply no way that they can win the number 1 crown against likely to be massive holdover Brave, which should do fine with about $63 million, almost the same drop Monster’s Inc. had 11 years ago. Also Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter should drop to about $4 million showing no signs of being a big holdover success. That should also be true for Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World which I predict will turn in $3 million. To Rome With Love should continue to do okay for a limited release. That’s My Boy should make $2 million and Rock Of Ages $3 million. Critics will not like any of these new releases except for People Like Us and Ted just a little. Ted: RT: 69% OWG: $30 million DTG: $85 million ITG: $300 million People Like Us: RT: 75% OWG: $19 million DTG:$66 million ITG: $120 million Magic Mike: RT: %19 OWG: $9 million DTG: $22 million ITG: $50 million Tyler Perry’s Madea Witness Protection: RT: 10% OWG: $3 million DTG: $8 million OWG: $15 million

Idris Elba stars in last week’s Prometheus and he’ll also star in next years Gullmerio del Toro film Pacific Rim. Why did a little known African American become Ridely Scott and del Toro’s new stars? Read on.

Before Prometheus Idris Elba had starred in Thor, American Gangster (a Scott film), Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (some crazy Nicholas Cage action movie), and more. But now (for some unbeknownst to me), Elba is now in the spotlight with Prometheus. While his role is small in the sci-fi horror epic and there’s also big names like Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron, Elba must have been… noticed because after all del Toro picked him up for his movie about robots and monsters and Elba.Of his new film del Toro says, “It’s about world saving but it’s not a military movie. I want an adventure movie, the kind you saw as a kid – a western or a space movie.” (Del Toro said this in an interview with the British film magazine Total Film. The issue in which the Pacific Rim article appears is the Summer 2012 issue. It is available at newsstands and on the iPad now.)

Elba is also currently filming No Good Deed and Long Walk to Freedom (in which he is rumored to play Nelson Mandela). His films Pacific Rim and They Die by Dawn are currently in post production. Four films in the future? One of them being a huge sequel (Thor 2)? One of them in which he is rumored to star as Nelson Mandela? Elba is one busy guy. But will his next four films be any good? Will I see any of them? Maybe Thor 2. Will they be commercially and critically successful? Only time will tell. (Note: With so many movies changing their release dates all four of Elba’s films might come out tomorrow. So watch your multiplexs and… have a nice day.)

This week Ridely Scott’s Prometheus, a sci-fi horror epic, will be released. Scott has been working on the film for ten (yes ten) years, and now, finally, it will be released this Friday, June 8th. The film stars Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, and Guy Pearce. It is certainly one of the most anticipated films of the summer, but how has the film reached this level of excitement? Well, you’ll just have to scroll down the page… and read on.

In a featurette for trailers.apple.com/trailers, Ridely Scott said that Prometheus is “all about everything.” What does he mean by that? Well you might have to spend $10 to find out (don’t ask me, I haven’t seen the film). That’s exciting news for Scott fans, but why so many Scott fans? Why are so many people awaiting in bated breath the release of his new film? Sci-fi has always been a popular genre and Scott has made hits like Blade Runner and Alien, so why shouldn’t the fans rush out? They should (or at least that’s what they think). There are so many fans of Scott’s previous work that Prometheus is bound to be a box-office smash.
Judging from the trailer, the film will serve up plenty of action with some of the coolest looking sets this year and effects ready to blow your mind. There’s also a star-studded cast that includes Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, and more. The third dimension of 3-D will be explored for the first time in a Scott film and that should give the film an extra million bucks or more. The film has already received some critic reviews and its current rottentomatoes.com percentage is 79%. (I expect its final percentage will be 77%.)

So many stars! In 3-D! Ridely Scott as director! (Doesn’t this sound like an ad?) It seems destined for success, and come June 8th we’ll know the answer to that. You’ve only got to wait three more days to find out. And in the three more days… nobody can hear you scream… in excitement.

If you’ve seen The Avengers and are hungry for more Marvel superhero movies here’s your guide to whats up next. SPOILER ALERT If you have not seen The Avengers or the other Marvel films then minor plot elements may be revealed. This is a comprehensive, chronological guide to what’s up next for Marvel (bought by Walt Disney).

Iron Man 3 Release Date: May 3rd, 2013 News: Ben Kingsley joins the cast as the evil villain, The Mandarin and Tony Stark\Iron Man (played of course by Robert Downey Jr.) must head to China to battle him. Guy Pierce plays Aldrich Killian. Don Cheadle and Gwenyth Paltrow reprise their roles. Getting a new director (Shane Black) could shake things up pleasantly after the unoriginal Iron Man 2. The plot sounds exactly the same as the first two (Iron Man must fight a villain and terrorists) but as with the others hilarious lines and a bit of depth may transcend a generic storyline. The movie will open the summer movie season on the first week of May, the way Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and The Avengers have. The film will probably make more money than Iron Man and Iron Man 2 but not as much as The Avengers. I will definitely see this one. After Iron Man 2 was criticized for being stuffed with The Avengers references, Keven Feige has said Iron Man 3 is to be very different than The Avengers. There will still probably be an end credits sequence and cameos.

Thor 2 Release Date: November 15th, 2013 Keneth Branagah who directed the first one is leaving the series and Alan Taylor (director of such TV shows as Game of Thrones and The Sopranos) is taking over the directing credits. Almost all the actors are returning so that means you’ll get to see Tom Hiddelston, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba, and of course Chris Hemsworth as Thor himself. The film starts filming in August this year. The film will probably make more money than Thor but being sandwiched in the middle of possible November blockbusters Ender’s Game and Catching Fire certainly won’t help. There will also be a new main villain (ie not Loki though he will still be in the movie). Tom Hiddelston and Chris Hemsworth have also stated that sometime in the Thor series that they would like Thor and Loki to be friends. If they can combine awesome, amazing action with an emotional storyline, then Thor 2 will be great.

Captain America 2 Release Date: April 4, 2014 The new Captain America film tells the story of the superhero in the present. His only friends are Nick Fury and SHIELD. Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, has said Captain America will learn about his World War II friends while he was frozen for about 70 years. I don’t think the movie will be unique because the story sounds similar to Thor where a super hero gets put into modern times. So far only Chris Evans and Samuel L. Jackson are signed on as actors. Vulture.com says, the three possible directors are F. Gary Gray, George Nolfi, and Anthony and Joseph Russo. I think they should get Steven Spielberg to do a WW 2 sequel to the first one that is set in the 1940’s but he probably wouldn’t want to do it because he’s so busy. Also it seems like Marvel is trying to make this film fail. They are releasing it in April, one of the worst months for movies (both critically and commercially). I am still nonetheless very excited to see how this film turns out.

Other Marvel Projects: Marvel has announced that they will be releasing a new movie on May 16th, 2014. Why not May 2nd, the first week of summer movies like they normally do? Because they want to give Captain America 2 some time to make some money and Sony is ridiculously planning to release The Amazing Spider Man 2 on May 2nd. The movie that will probably be released then is probably going to be The Avengers 2, because of The Avengers box office success (it’s already the 6th highest grossing movie of all time). Meanwhile Guardians Of The Galaxy, Inhumans, Dr. Strange, and Ant-Man directed by Edgar Wright are all non Avengers related movies that might be released sometime in the future. They might not do as great at the box office or maybe even with critics but they will still will likely be much, much more original because they are not leading up to a big crossover team up blockbuster movie like The Avengers. I would also not be surprised if there were movies solely about Nick Fury, Black Widow, and Hawkeye, which there probably will be. Also a new Hulk film starring Mark Ruffalo might happen because Ruffalo said that he wanted to and Marvel would love to make some more money.

I am looking forward to all these films. I’m least excited to see the original films and Captain America: The First Avenger 2 sounds bad. I can not wait, however to see Iron Man 3,Thor 2, and The Avengers 2.

It all started in 1978, when Richard Donner’s Superman, starring Christopher Reeve and Margrot Kidder. But now modern superhero films are taking the screen; no more strings to pull Superman through the sky, today it’s CG. Why are The Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spider Man some of this summer’s most anticipated films? The Avengers just opened and received a 93% fresh on rottentomatoes.com, plus it broke opening weekend records with a high flying $207 million. In this article, the popularity of “masked vigilantes”, “dark knights”, “iron men”, and more will be explained.The following explanation of why superheros are so popular is a guess, not necessarily a fact. People have always wanted to be transported away from their everyday lives… so why not watch mythical beings battling evil people? “It’s a lot of fun!” says the half the world that’s now obsessed with it. Some because they love action, some because they think the A-list actors are great, and some who like the comics in the first place and say “Hey let’s go watch the movie.” This summer will feature Spider Man and Batman returning to the big screen (The Avengers was released last week). Batman will star in the presumably last film in Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. Meanwhile, Spider Man will be web slinging back onto the big screen with The Amazing Spider Man, directed by Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer). I am expecting both to be hits, however almost certainly Dark Knight Rises will do better.These days the films doing the best at the box office are (mostly) films with lots of action; the Transformer movies, superhero movies, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies…The list goes on and on. Are they always good? No. Are superhero movies? No. But when they are done right they can be a joy to watch for comic fans, critics, or even just any old moviegoer. When they’re done right you won’t feel like you’ve wasted your money. When they are done right… you can fly. (Not really, but you get the point.)